Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, peace be with you. Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint James the Apostle, known traditionally as James the Greater—not because he was more important than the other James, but likely because he was called earlier or was physically taller. This James was the brother of John the Evangelist, and together they were the sons of Zebedee. They worked as fishermen on the Sea of Galilee until Jesus called them to follow Him. Along with Peter, James and John formed a kind of inner circle among the Twelve Apostles. They alone were present at some of the most intimate moments in Jesus’ ministry: the raising of Jairus’ daughter, the Transfiguration, and the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.
James was also the first of the apostles to be martyred for his faith, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 12:2). His life, therefore, is one marked by closeness to Christ and fidelity unto death.
Yet as today’s Gospel from Matthew 20 reminds us, James did not begin his discipleship with perfect understanding. The mother of James and John approaches Jesus with a bold request: she asks that her two sons be given places of honour in His Kingdom, one at His right and the other at His left. It’s a very human moment—ambitious, perhaps even a little presumptuous. Jesus, in response, does not rebuke her harshly, but instead turns to James and John and asks, “Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They respond without hesitation: “We can.” At that moment, they likely had little idea of what that would entail.
Jesus then tells them, “My chalice you will indeed drink,” pointing forward to the suffering they would endure for His sake. For James, this promise was fulfilled when he gave his life in witness to Christ, becoming the first of the apostles to be martyred. What began as a pursuit of glory became a life of service, and ultimately a sacrifice offered in love.
This movement—from misunderstanding to mission, from ambition to authentic discipleship—is one that speaks to us all. Like James, we can sometimes approach God with our own expectations, our own plans for success or recognition. But Jesus calls us beyond those desires. He calls us to follow Him in the way of humility, to take up the chalice He offers—one that involves suffering, but also leads to resurrection and glory.
Saint Paul, in our first reading from 2 Corinthians, gives language to this mystery of discipleship. “We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,” he writes, “that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.” Our lives, like fragile clay jars, are easily cracked by the hardships of life. But within us is the treasure of God’s grace. Paul speaks of being afflicted but not constrained, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. This is the paradox of Christian life: in our weakness, God reveals His strength. James, though flawed and at times impulsive, was chosen by Christ and transformed by grace into a pillar of the early Church.
The Responsorial Psalm, taken from Psalm 126, offers a poetic echo of this truth: “Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.” Discipleship often means sowing in tears—through sacrifice, hardship, and even suffering for the sake of the Gospel. But this labour, carried out in faith, bears the fruit of joy. James sowed with his life and reaps now the joy of eternal life in the presence of God.
What we celebrate today, then, is not just the greatness of a saint, but the greatness of what God can do in a human life surrendered to Him. James was not perfect—far from it. But he followed Jesus, stayed close to Him, and grew into the person God called him to be. His journey reminds us that discipleship is not about status or recognition, but about service, humility, and love.
As we honour Saint James today, let us ask for his intercession. May we have the courage to follow Christ wherever He leads, to drink the chalice He offers, and to serve others with joy. And when we find ourselves sowing in tears, may we trust in God’s promise that we will one day reap in rejoicing.
Saint James the Greater, apostle and martyr, pray for us.
Amen.
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